I think you're failing to understand the point of this piece. It's really an exploration of how many books Simon needs to carry around... which turns out to be "one, maybe two." This brings up a lot of rather complex questions which I hope will be addressed in later programs: When does he need to carry around two? And is one of them a dictionary?

I'm also looking forward to his comparative review of mobile phones in which he will reveal how many people he needs to speak to daily. Just one, maybe two? And his rundown on GPS devices, in which he confesses that four directions seem far too many; he can do very well with just North and... maaaybe West.

As somebody said on another thread, the motor car doesn't have the same feel as the horse. I know which I'd prefer - a light slim reader with all my books on it or a pile of paperbacks. And I haven't even got mine yet :-)

I have never understood this idea that e-books or print books are an 'either/or' proposition. There are some book genres I enjoy where I do prefer the print version---cookbooks, for example, where it is important to me able to see the whole page at once, and where a nice layout and some pictures goes a long way. But the latest paperback mystery? What about it specifically *needs* to be in paper? And at the rate I go through them, I was getting some from the library, selling others back to the used bookstore as I finished them...e-books for me are more durable because I don't need to get rid of them due to space constraints. And they are cheaper. What I like to do is buy a hot new release on Fictionwise when it is on 100% micropay rebate, and then spend the rebate on half a dozen other books

Ned -- none of my licence fee goes to the BBC, because I don't pay it! When I see this sort of rubbish I'm confirmed in the wisdom of our decision, years ago, to dump the TV set.

I *never* bring this subject up in mixed company, but, ahem, now that you mention it--congratulations on your wise decision to kill your TV. We've lived without a TV in my household for 15+ years. It amazes me that so many people voluntarily invite so much pathology right into their living rooms. And let the kids watch, too!

And before anyone messages me about it--I know--you only watch the educational channel....

I don't know who these librarians are, but they did a poor job reviewing the readers. There was no depth to this piece. it just feels like fluff. I know I disagree woth them, but come on now, they don't get it. I don't think they've spend enough time with any of these readers to be able to give a truly accurate review one way or the other. Let's get the guy who hosted this piece to carry around two huge hard covers and then tell me he doesn't want a reader.